REALLY NEED HELP!!! egg bound/ constipation / internal layer??

[millerbeachindiana]

Hello All.
I have a dominique who is 25 weeks old. I am unsure if she has been laying yet since some of my birds are and some are not, plus I have one other dominique.

I noticed 3 days ago that she was in a nesting box for an extended period of time showing effort with no egg. I noticed she did the same thing for the entire next day. On the third day, I picked her up to inspect her more closely, took her out to eat and drink which she did ravenously eat food. Lead me to believe that she had not been eating. I was happy she took the food though. She looks as if she is pushing constantly. So last night, I brought her inside after all of my research and suspicion of egg bound. she has not lost feathers and doesn't seem terribly distressed. We bathed her in warm water and used olive oil around her vent. my husband used a glove and said that he did not feel an egg. He penetrated maybe 1/2 an inch from his description.

In the meantime, I gave her some cooked barley and apples in a crate in our house with a heat lamp for the night while she dried. She is still assuming this position with peristalsis. This evening, I noticed that she has not had any bowel movement at all since her bath 24 hours ago. she is eating a little, but showing little interest in water.

I fear the possibility of being an internal layer now. Any advice would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

Rebecca

 

[PunkinPeep]

I'm not an expert on this (by any stretch), but the fact that she's pushing and the fact that she's not pooping makes me think that she's egg bound like you originally suspected.

I think that i would put her in a warm bath and keep her there a LONG time, until she did something.

Also, you should be able to feel her abdomen from the outside - very carefully - to feel for any hardness, like an egg in the area.

And if she won't drink soon, you need to start giving her water by dropper or something. She can't survive long without water.

 

[sammi]

is there a possibility she is broody?

how is she today?
eating? drinking? can she stand? can she walk? is the vent pulsing?
any drainage, heat or swelling?

 

[millerbeachindiana]

So my initial thought when she was in the nesting box was that she was broody. I'm new at this, so wouldn't she need an egg to be broody?
she will eat a little. drinking not really. she can walk... she just sits with her bum perched in the air. her vent is pulsing pretty constant. No drainage, moist area. No redness and I do not think she is swollen.

I did not feel any obvious obstruction from the outside. mY husband did not penetrate deep enough to feel an egg from the inside. How long could a bird work on her first egg?? Perhaps this is hers.

Thank you so much for the response. Its dawned on me now that i may need a vet that works on chickens huh?

I really really hope we can work this out. she is of course the most lovely of birds.

 

[eggsrcool]

Feel around the lower stomach. Is it hard? If it is hard, then it leads be to believe that shes eggbound.

 

[Judy]

No, they don't need eggs to go broody,, they will set on golf balls or nothing at all. But the bum in the air is the laying posture, not the broody posture, which is sort of flattened out and spread out, to cover the eggs.

The FAQ page has links to some threads about eggbound. Look for any drainage from the vent, in case an egg has broken in her. She may also be trying to lay a soft shell egg, which is harder for them to pass.

I would continue with baths and do what you can to encourage her to eat and drink.

 

[sammi]

setting the hen on a warmed towel or heating pad in a warm dark quiet place undisturbed can also help..
if she will take food..crush 1/2 a TUMS into her food, or liquid calcium..
(the calcium sometimes helps with "contractions".)

how is she today?

 

[millerbeachindiana]

Thank you for all the helpful advice. I had my girl in for 3 days with heat and baths and all. she seemed to be eating and drinking fine. She continued to perch her rear up into the air seemingly pushing. She had one small bowel movement. When the weather became wonderful warm and sunny, I decided to let her out into the yard. As soon as she started moving she had a large solid bowel movement. I am unsure if she has had an egg... I think maybe not... she seems to have gotten on with her life and left the nesting box. Looks like we were fortunate to have had her issues work themselves out.

It was wonderful to have all of you as a resource. Thanks a million for your thoughtful troubleshooting and suggestion.

Sincerely,
Rebecca

 

[PunkinPeep]

So glad to hear that she seems to be back to normal!